How are you today?

I am fine.  Really, I'm good.

On October 29th 2011 at 10 am, roughly 7 months after I was diagnosed I heard Dr. K tell me there were no traces of cancer on my last PET.  I knew it in my heart but hearing her say it made it official.  In less than a year I had:

1. Completed a half marathon
2. Been diagnosed with stage iv squamous cell carcinoma in the base of my tongue
3. Received 3 chemo treatments and 40 radiation treatments
4. Over a dozen blood draws, 2 surgeries, over 80 head x-rays
5. Drank over 150 cans of Carnation VHC
6. Lost 40 pounds
7. Lost my dad
8. Recovered and returned to the gym and gained 25 of my lost pounds back and ran a 5k.

There are still a couple of milestones to go.  To make sure the cancer doesn't come back I will have PET's every 3 months for a year, then every 4 months for a year and then one a year after that.  They are expensive so if you need your grass cut, let me know...  I still can't taste sweets very well.  I start physical therapy for some very minor swallowing issues later this month. I haven't shaved my neck since late March and it is as smooth as a baby's rear end.  I don't miss shaving my neck at all but the bad news is Robin found a couple of stray hairs on my Adam's apple last week.  I weighed 185 this morning and think I may hang around that neighborhood instead of getting back to 210 or so.

It is an incredible story but I am not incredible at all.  In fact, I am not just being modest when I tell you that I am not particularly tough, not particularly strong.  I am a very average guy.  Which means if you are reading this and you have recently been diagnosed with a cancer like mine, you can beat it too.  I am serious.  Surround yourself with friends and family that want desperately for you to succeed. Talk to SURVIVORS ( when I felt like crap, I never drew strength from talking to other people who felt like crap.  Sometimes, I felt a LOT better after helping someone who was not doing so well though.).  SURVIVORS know how you feel now and they know what got them through it.  Their suggestions may or may not work for you but they are always a great place to start.  Look for your local SPOHNC chapter and attend a meeting.  Take a pad and a pencil.  Several badasses will tell you how you can be a badass, too.  Take notes.

If this is your first time here, you have to read the posts backwards.  Here is a link to the first one:
http://iwishihadbetternews.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-really-nice-place-to-start.html
I would love to hear from you if this blog has been helpful.  Tell me if it didn't help at all, too.

God's Blessings on you all!!
chris